Anyway, onto the workout:

Moderate warm up, 5x400m each one with 2:30 recovery, 400m recovery, 5x400m each with a 2:30 recovery, cool down

I took advantage of the warm up to measure out a couple of quarter mile sections of Sportsplex parking lot. The local high school track was busy, the grassy soccer fields recently aerated, so parking lot it was to be.

The first couple of quarters were all about finding my pace. A stray dog didn’t help the first one (83 seconds) – thanks lady in the Subaru! The second quarter was a bit quicker, but still too slow – 78 seconds. Finally, on the third one, I found my Newton groove! 75 seconds and it felt comfortable. I followed up with a 74 and 73 and then “enjoyed” a 400m jog recovery.

I was determined to run quicker in the second set (after all, I didn’t want to let the dailymilers down, did I?) and clicked out some quick quarters – 73, 73, 73, 72 and a 71 to finish. I won’t say they were easy, but I’m confident I can run a little quicker next time, especially if the 400s are on a track.

I finished off with an easy couple of miles and used The Stick for about 10 minutes to help roll out a few knots. The Newton Gravitas and Newton Racer both performed very well, and the new Newton socks were surprisingly comfortable too. Good workout! What’s up for tomorrow?

According to the Newton web site, it will take the average runner roughly 25 to 30 miles to adjust to the shoes. Apparently the short break-in period will “allow the Newton Active Membrane Technology™ and actuator lugs to adapt to your unique bio-mechanics”.

For this reason, I warmed up for a couple of miles in my fairly new Pearl Izumi Surge – an interesting shoe which is lightweight, responsive and very comfortable. To test drive the Newtons I chose a 1200m loop of the Virginia Beach Sportsplex – 800m for the speed intervals with 400m for a recovery. I quickly changed shoes and immediately felt the forefoot lugs making contact with the ground. Weird.

I started the first 800m and took no time at all adjusting to the on-your-toes sensation. I won’t say the running was effortless, but it did feel like someone was pushing me forward – maybe it was all in my mind, but the 2:46 split was still a surprise.

I jogged the (almost) 400m back to starting point, hit lap on the Garmin, and set off again. Same on-your-toes running style and even as fatigue set in after about 600m, I was still able to maintain the forefoot strike. To be honest, it’s almost impossible to heel strike in the Newtons. Second 800m – 2:40.

At 2:39, the third split was the quickest 800m interval I’ve run in a very long time (if not ever). Admittedly, I only planned on running 4 x 800m, but to run a 2:39 was very satisfying.

Around about this time I noticed the outside of my right foot was rubbing against the inside of the shoe – probably due to too-thick Balega socks. Maybe I’ll need to wear the thinner ones next time? Anyway, I briefly thought about loosening the laces but decided to just set off for the final interval and focus on maintaining good form instead. Split #4 – 2:36!

I spent a few minutes stretching my calves (more as a precaution than anything else), changed shoes and ran slowly back home, happy with the performance and very pleased with the Newton Racers. I just hope I can get hold of the Neutral Trainers pretty soon so I can start wearing them for tempo runs and some of my faster training.

By the way, stepping back into the Pearl Izumi’s was a very strange sensation – despite only having about 40 miles on them, they felt flat as a pancake and wide as a barge. I’d guess it must have taken a good half mile to get used to the feeling of wearing traditional shoes again. Most odd!

Actual: 25 minute easy warm up (covered just over 3 miles), 8 x 1 minute fast followed by a minute recovery jog for each fast effort. The quick stuff felt pretty good, but I wish I’d worn a different pair of shoes – my Brooks Ghost have almost given up the ghost and felt flat as a pancake. Oh well, no damage done and I was able to jog the 2 miles home quite comfortably.

Stats: 7.7 miles in just under an hour (7:35 pace). Average heart rate: 136bpm

Easy run tomorrow and I’ll be sure to wear something more cushioned on my feet….

Thursday evening meant it was time to take another trip to the track for a punishing 200m interval session. Last week I managed 28 x 200m, so the plan today was to add another 4 to the mix.

I ran a 5 mile warm-up to the track at just under 7:30 per mile pace and got started right away on the intervals:

The first eight went well and the splits were very consistent – 38, 38, 38, 38, 38, 38, 37, 38

The second eight went equally well and by now my legs were used to a faster cadence and ticking over nicely – 38, 37, 37, 38, 37, 38, 38, 38, 38

The third block of eight were much tougher and as the sun went down, so did my body temperature – 37, 38, 37, 38, 38, 37, 37, 37

The final eight were somewhat of a struggle. In fact, I tweaked my right calf muscle on interval #29 and was forced to take it easy for the final 3 x 200s and slow jog home – 38, 38, 37, 39, 38, ?, ?, ?

Still, I managed to log just over 15 miles with a good percentage of quality running. I’ve iced my calf and am hoping it won’t get in the way of a solid performance at Saturday’s Mud in Your Eye 6k cross country race. We’ll soon see…

Next week I’ll be going for 32, but for now my thoughts turn to Saturday’s 25k at Fort Story. Not sure what pace to aim for at the moment, but here are my previous 25k finish times at the same venue.

2008 – 1:41:19
2007 – 1:37:34
2006 – 1:40:28
2005 – 1:46:40
2004 – 1:45:05
2003 – 1:40:36
2000 – 1:42:40

I guess a lot will depend on the weather, so for now I think I’ll leave my options open. Should be a good challenge anyway. Feel free to leave a prediction in the comments section below…..

The workout came to be after chatting with local “running guru” Mel Williams after Saturday’s 20k race. Mel is one of only five runners to complete EVERY Marine Corps Marathon since its first running in 1976 and consistently finishes in the top of his age group. His knowledge of the sport is second to none and his willingness to share training tips and race strategies is unmatched.

My marathon PR attempts came up in the conversation and Mel told me about one his favorite workouts when he was at his peak – a midweek 20 miler comprising a 5 mile warm up/cool down and 10 miles on the track! Yes, you read it correctly, 10 miles on the track made up of 40 x 200m with a 200m jog recovery.

I thought about Mel’s workout for a couple of days and decided I’d attempt to build up to his classic 20 miler over the next couple of months. Tonight would be the base line test….

I figured I’d start off with a moderate 200m effort and see how I felt. The first interval was right on 40 seconds (5:20 per mile pace) and felt quite comfortable. Interval #2 was also a 40sec effort and the only problem was the blustery wind. After the 4th 200m I decided to change direction on the track to prevent excess stress on my left knee. By now I was in a good groove and consistently running 39sec repeats at a max heart rate of about 165bpm (still plenty in the tank).

After the 8th or 9th 200, darkness kicked in and I could no longer see the screen on my Garmin and therefore stopped focusing on the splits. By the time I got to repeat #15 I was fatigued, but not exhausted, so I stepped up the pace a little and finished off the workout in style.

The cool down was uneventful but my legs still felt good – somewhat surprising after an 11 mile effort. Back at the house I uploaded the Garmin track and was pleased with the results. My splits continued to get faster and I finished off with a slew of 37s and a final 35 second 200m!

40 40 39 39 39 39 39 39 39 38 39 38 38 38 37 37 37 37 37 35

So, thanks Mel for suggesting the workout. Maybe I can add a little to the warm up/cool down each week and tag on 4 extra 200m repeats until I reach the magic 40? Another 5 weeks and I should be there. Let’s hope the hard work pays off at the Shamrock Marathon in March….

The weather was perfect – low 50s, no wind and a typical late afternoon sun that made it difficult to see – and made for a very enjoyable workout. Typically I don’t utilize the heart rate feature of my Garmin 405, but today decided to strap on the chest strap and see how hard I was working. The graph below shows I topped out at 170 beats per minute, with a nice gradual increase on each interval. The low points are where I stopped to change my shoes!

So, all in all a very good workout – a real confidence booster – and despite being tired towards the end I really felt fast on the final couple of sprints.

Back at the house I did another Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred (Level 2 no less!) which I’m positive is helping my flexibility and upper body/leg strength. Tomorrow I plan on taking a break from “the shred”, with the aim of feeling rested for the Hair of the Dog 5k on New Year’s Day.

Oh yes, I also did 20 sets of 10 push ups this morning with 20 seconds rest between each set. After my recent success on the Hundred Push Ups plan, I’m keen not to lose all my hard earned strength….

PS One last comment – tonight I also passed the 2400 miles mark for the year. I wonder what 2009 has in store for me?